Tourism New Zealand has launched its first global campaign in two years.
Video / Tourism NZ
As part of the push for more high value tourists, Tourism New Zealand has launched its first global campaign in two years.
Tourism Minister Stuart Nash reportedly said last week he's not keen on attracting two-minute noodle-eating visitors promoting how cheap New Zealand can be.
Now the country's promotion agency has taken what it calls a bold and creative approach to destination advertising to attract "high quality" travellers.
Launching in New Zealand, Australia, USA, China, UK, Singapore, Japan, Germany, India, Korea and Canada, If You Seek takes a creative approach to destination marketing by inviting the curious to find out more about Aotearoa.
Nash last week emphasised New Zealand would target high value tourists, something former Prime Minister John Key did with mixed success when he was tourism minister when the wave of all visitors, including budget travellers before Covid came close to swamping destinations at times.
The "If You Seek" campaign takes what Tourism NZ says is a different approach to destination marketing by teasing audiences with snippets about what is on offer and inviting the curious, those who will take the time to seek more from their visit.
Tourism NZ chief executive René de Monchy said there was intense competition as other destinations ramp up campaigns to capture the imaginations of travellers.
"Because of our size and location New Zealand will have to work hard to encourage visitation post-Covid with international visitor numbers taking years to build up and Kiwis now having the option of travelling overseas."
A suite of short films make up the core of the activity, featuring snippets and hints of destinations and activities as diverse as Tāne Mahuta and Hell's Gate in the North Island, to Hooker Valley near Aoraki Mt Cook and Tasman's Great Taste Trail in Nelson Tasman.
"The work includes sneak-peeks of some well-known destinations as well as places and experiences that aren't as recognisable in our key markets," de Monchy said.
''We wanted to tap into the curiosity of our target high–quality traveller, who we know are adventurous and keen to dig beneath the surface of the places they visit whether on the beaten path or not."
Tourism New Zealand - which has a budget of over $110m a year - used a range of insights to create compelling campaign work to reach "high-quality" visitors.
The Tourism NZ campaign will play in key overseas markets and also locally. Photo / Supplied
"These are visitors who we think will explore more deeply, spend more and ultimately contribute to New Zealand's tourism sector in ways beyond the economic benefit."
High value travellers "want to engage with our culture, society and also interact with our environment in a respectful way. Our research shows that visitors who see our work spend more and travel more widely around New Zealand".
The campaign also includes trade content and activity to engage and educate travel sellers, who want to upskill on New Zealand and are an important part of Tourism NZ's work to attract quality visitors.
The campaign has also been released in New Zealand, targeting Kiwis.
Tourism New Zealand research shows that around two-thirds of New Zealanders intend to take a domestic holiday in the coming year, and 42 per cent are motivated to visit a place they haven't before on their upcoming travels.
Before Covid-19, international tourism was New Zealand's number one export earner, and combined with domestic tourism generated $41 billion for the economy.
Statistics New Zealand and MBIE data showed June 2022 had the highest number of international visitor arrivals since the border was closed in March 2020.
The 94,600 overseas visitors arriving in June represented a 30 per cent increase from May, and more than double the number of international arrivals in June 2021.
